


Kittens and Inky Strings

by ZanzaFlux



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: AU hopping, Fluff, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 12:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20097073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZanzaFlux/pseuds/ZanzaFlux
Summary: There is a reason why you shouldn't enter the dark puddles without an escort.  You never know where you'll end up.





	Kittens and Inky Strings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FullmetalDevil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullmetalDevil/gifts).

> Benny and Allison come from the Stitched AU that belongs to @FullmetalDevil here on this site and on tumblr. Check their work out, it's really good!

“Alright girls, time for bed.” A chorus of “awws" and “do we hafta?” rang out throughout the living room. The children didn't like going to bed early.

Shadow didn't quite understand it itself. It didn't need to sleep as much as the humans in the home. It supposed the young ones needed more rest just like Cloudy. The little kitten spent more time asleep than awake.

Speaking of its playmate, the little kitten was laying under the couch. His eyes were shut tight. The children played with them both all night and wore the grey bundle of fluff out.

There were days where it missed being that small. They would tumble about on the floor, chased each other around the room, or June held it in her hands. Its different now and there was no going back, thanks to June.

There were advantages to its new size as well. It could curl up on the floor next to Sarah and listen to her read. She had such a quiet voice. Beth took to dressing it up in large hats and fluffy scarfs around its neck for her pretend tea parties. Shadow didn't mind although it often wondered what real tea tasted like. But the best part was when the children hugged it around its neck. That made it so happy.

The adults were slowly getting used to it. Jason talked to it more. He even let it ride in its big red truck for a short distance. That was fun. It got to see what the rest of the outside world looked like through the back window. Shadow realized just how small the Studio really was.

Then there was June. She would pat it on the head or scratch it behind its horns. What it liked the most was that she would just talk to it. She didn't speak to it like it was an animal, but a person that understood what she was saying. And even though it couldn't speak, it let her know it understood in different ways.

There were some days where it would just lean against June as she was working in the kitchen. June would laugh and say that it was just as bad as Ben when he would lay his head on her shoulder. The difference being that Shadow didn't sneak up and scare her. That was good. It didn't want to frighten her. It liked to see her smile.

“C'mon guys. You have school tomorrow.” Jason chuckled as he headed for the steps. “Say Goodnight.”

The children grumbled and slid off the couch. They wished Ben a Goodnight, then ran to Shadow. They patted it on the head and it lightly head bumped their tummies until they giggled. Jason escorted them up the stairs leaving June to clean up a few stray toys here and there before heading to the kitchen.

Ben was ready to head back to the Studio. He waved his hand at the living room wall and an inky portal opened up.

“**Ssshadow**.” The large ink cat lowered its head and burbled softly. It wanted to stay here for the night. As much as it liked chasing Butcher Gang clones or listening to Sammy play the piano, it liked to spend time in June's home too. It was quiet, clean, and peaceful.

Ben just sighed and nodded. Its creator wasn't angry. He understood so he didn't mind if it wanted to spend the night here. He knew it would come back to the Studio with him next time.

“G'night Ben, we'll see you later!” June called from the kitchen. Shadow watched as the demon stepped through the dark, shimmering doorway. He was gone.

Just at that moment, a loud crash startled Shadow. The sound came from the kitchen. “Oh shoot!” June had dropped a glass bowl and it shattered on the floor. The sound woke Cloudy up and scared the poor little kitten. He darted out from under the couch and ran straight for the portal!

By the time Shadow noticed the frantic skittering across the living room floor, it was too late. Cloudy was gone. It didn't give things a second thought as it jumped up and charged through the portal after the kitten.

* * *

The dark puddles. The space in between. A chaotic swirl of inky black and gold that went on as far as the eye could see.

When its creator opened a door from one area to another, the distance between those two points was very short, making traveling from one place to another almost instant. Without Ben here to guide it, the dark puddles was a vast expanse that one could get lost in. To make matters worse, the portal closed right after it ran through. It was standing in the middle of nowhere.

Shadow remembered this place well. It was where it was born and where its creator sent it the first few days of its existence. It was a cold and lonely place where some lost souls were trapped and they constantly whispered to be set free. It didn't like it here.

Amongst the voices, the large ink cat could hear a soft mewling. Its stubby horns twitched and it followed the sound. After a few minutes of walking, Shadow could see a small, grey figure just up ahead. Cloudy was curled up into a tiny ball. He meowed loudly in distress as though he were calling for help.

Shadow made a strange gurgling sound and trotted up to the kitten. Cloudy dashed for its legs as soon as it got close enough. It sat on its haunches and let the kitten huddle up between its forepaws.

It was happy it found its little playmate, but that didn't change the fact that they were trapped here. Unlike its creator, it didn't have the ability to open dark doorways. They would just have to wait until Ben came looking for them. Luckily for them, the demon could sense his creation no matter where it was.

Shadow sighed and looked down at Cloudy. The little kitten was shaking badly. He was scared. It couldn't blame him. This place was pretty creepy. It just hoped its creator won't be too angry with it for rushing off and getting lost.

**OoOoOoOoO**

It wasn't sure how long they sat there. It was long enough for Cloudy to finally calm down and doze lightly. It couldn't rest, not in here. The voices wouldn't let it.

The ink cat's horns twitched suddenly. It stared off into the distance. Shadow sensed something. Something familiar. It was weak, but it thought it felt the presence of its creator. Maybe he left the Studio and was looking for them! Well, there was only one way to find out.

Shadow stood up abruptly, startling the grey kitten from his nap. The ink cat's ever present smile cracked open to reveal sharp, yellow teeth hidden within. It leaned over and seized Cloudy gently by the scruff of his neck. The kitten went completely limp. It had seen Jason do this a dozen times so it knew it was safe. Shadow huffed and took off.

The ink cat picked a direction it thought the presence was coming from and meandered towards it. The swirl of gold and inky black could be quite disorienting if you looked at any one thing for too long. Shadow had to concentrate on the trail or it might get distracted.

It ran and ran until it could finally see something shimmering in the distance. A portal began to form right before its eyes. Shadow slowed to a stop and took a moment to study the phenomenon before it.

The large ink cat wasn't sure where it lead, but it could feel the presence on the other side. Now ideally, it hoped it went back to June's home. If its creator was already there, maybe it wont get into too much trouble for making its way back safely with Cloudy. If it lead to the Studio, well, Shadow was confident it could keep the kitten safe until the demon found them. If that were the case, then it was really in trouble.

It approached the portal cautiously. It tapped the surface with its paw and watched it ripple like throwing a stone in a pond. The ink cat hesitated as the colors shift from inky black and gold to a soft white and dark blue. A soft mewl from the kitten in its mouth let Shadow know that they couldn't stay there much longer.

With a resigned sigh, the large cat hunched its shoulders and marched into the portal.

* * *

The first thing it noticed after it stepped through was how bright it was outside! Wait, outside? Shadow could feel the soft grass under its paws. How did they get outside? And more importantly, wasn't it night when they left? Did they wander the dark puddles that long?! Oh no, it was in big trouble now.

They appeared to be standing in someone's yard. Shadow placed the kitten on the ground and closed its mouth. Within a few seconds, the cracks in its smile mended and was completely unblemished. It looked this way and that. Nothing seemed familiar.

Shadow had been outside of June's home enough to know what her area looked like. Her house was nowhere in sight. Even the surrounding homes were different. A car whizzed by and it crouched low behind some bushes so it couldn't be seen.

The ink cat began to pace anxiously. They were definitely lost and in strange surroundings. If anyone sees it, who knows what might happen. Not only that, it wasn't sure if its creator would be able to find them. It doubt it could even ask for help!

Okay, okay. Panicking wasn't going to get them anywhere. It needed to calm down. It was a rational creature. It could get them out of this mess…somehow. First things first, Shadow needed to find some shelter for itself and Cloudy. The sun was high in the sky and it was very warm outside. Once it got them to a safe place, it could worry about what to do next.

With its mind made up, it stooped down to pick up the little grey kitten again, only to be met with empty space. Cloudy was gone! Shadow whined and turned in a complete circle. Its little friend must have scurried off while it was trying to decide what to do. Oh no, this wasn't good. Its creator is going to send it back to the void for this.

Shadow sniffed at the ground. It hoped the little kitten didn't get too far. After a few moments of frantic sniffing, it finally picked up the scent. It peaked over the bushes to make sure not to be seen before heading in the kitten's direction.

**OoOoOoOoO**

Nearby, two figures were working in their backyard. One was a beautiful voice actress named Allison Connor. The other was a living devildoll by the name of Benny.

It was a nice day and Allison wanted to plant some flowers in the yard. Benny loved working in the garden. It was like having a rainbow growing in his own backyard. The little toon had never seen so much color in all of his existence. When they all escaped Joey Drew Studios, Allison made it a point to plant the most vibrant flowers she could find in their new home. It was dirty work and Benny wasn’t sure how things were going to turn out, but the results were stunning!

Benny loved to sit out here among the garden he helped to create. He got to see and listen to the birds as they build their nests in the trees nearby and watched as butterflies of all shapes, sizes, and colors use his backyard as a rest stop. He always saw something new whenever he stepped out his backdoor.

“I have a tray of impatiens.” Allison held up two small rows of pink and white flowers. She handed it to Benny. “Can you plant these by the bush over there?” She pointed to a tall bush near the side of the house.

“Sure thing!” the little toon nodded enthusiastically as he took the tray and ran off.

Allison chuckled at the squeaky toy sound he made whenever he got really excited. It was a cute little holdover from his previous life as a Bendy plush doll. He was the first test subject of Joey’s machine and consequently the first victim of that man’s cruelty. Whenever she saw the small scar across his eye or the larger one that ran across his stomach, it made her angry. The day she found the little plush toon hurt and scared, changed her life forever. She never regretted helping him and becoming his friend. They have a peaceful life far from the studio that kept them all prison. Benny was a blessing to herself and Tom. The little plush toon brought so much joy to their lives. They would do anything to give him the life he deserved.

* * *

Benny was excited. He got to add more flowers to their growing collection. He was proud to have a hand in all of this. The little plush toon worked hard with Allison and Tom to get this backyard into shape. Not only was it full of color, but when the breeze hit it all just right, the smell was heavenly.

He put the tray of impatiens on the ground, then tugged on the gash in his stomach. Benny pulled it open, reached in, and pulled a small gardening spade from his hammerspace. He sat in the soft grass and began digging a hole for the flowers.

Benny was humming a merry tune, but stopped when he heard a curious sound. It was a squeaky mewl and it seemed to be coming from under the bush. The plush toon put down his tool and peaked through the branches. He was met with a pair of golden eyes staring up at him.

“Aww, it’s a kitten!” He carefully pushed the branches out of the way and picked up the grey bundle of fluff. Benny cood and held the trembling kitten close to his chest.

“Hey little guy. Are you lost?” He scratched the kitten’s chin. It mewled and blinked at him. “Aww, don’t worry. You’re safe now!” Benny jumped up and ran back to Allison.

“Allison! Allison! Look at what I found!” She turned to see Benny running across the yard. He was holding something. He stopped and held up his hands. “It’s a cat! Isn’t it cute! Can we keep it!”

“Woah, slow down there.” Allison gently took the kitten off his hands. The poor thing was shaking like a leaf. She held it up and examined it. He didn’t have a collar but was in pretty good shape for a stray. Someone must have been taking care of the little guy.

“Please, can we keep it? Please, please, pleeeease?” Benny had his gloved hands pressed together and his pie cut eyes were practically sparkling. Wow, he was laying it on thick.

“I dunno Benny. I think he might belong to someone.” Allison was stroking the kitten to get him to calm down. “Besides, I’m not even sure Tom likes cats.”

“Once he sees this cute little guy, I’m sure he’ll fall in love with him.” Benny clapped his hands together and hit her with the best pleading look he could muster, including a wobbly bottom lip. “Pweeease?”

Allison groaned and rolled her eyes. “Benny…”

They both jump when they heard a strange gurgling sound. Standing at the other end of the yard was a strange creature. It stood on four legs, skinny, and was shiny, inky black. Its stubby horns twitched and a long, thin tail swayed behind it. What was painfully recognizable was the rictus grin on its face and the ink that covered its eyes.

“Benny, what is that?” Allison gasped. She held the kitten close to her chest.

The little toon stepped in front of her. “I-I’m not sure. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The little kitten’s high pitched meow echoed across the yard. The creature’s head tilted to the side. It made that strange gurgling sound again before lowering its head and stalking across the yard.

“STAY BACK!” Benny shouted. The creature hesitated and stared at him. It growled softly and continued to move towards them.

“I said-" Benny began to change. The sound of stretching fabric could be heard as his limbs elongated. Soon, he was in his ragdoll form. He stood tall, with parts of his arms held together by ink covered strings. The gash in his stomach gaped open slightly with sharp, yellow teeth. He glared at the creature through one visible eye. The other was covered in ink. “**STaY bAcK!”**

The creature stopped. It began to pace from side to side. It almost looked like it was anxious about something. A mewl from the kitten caused it to move forward again.

Benny cocked his arm back and threw a punch. His arm came apart at the seams. His fist sailed across the yard with the intent of clobbering the creature. The thing jumped back, the large gloved hand barely missing its head. It crouched down and watched as Benny recalled the strings and pulled his arm back.

The creature stood up and huffed softly. It pawed at the ground as though it were annoyed. It walked in a small circle before it charged straight for them!

Benny threw his arm back to protect Allison while he sent another punch rocketing at the creature. It was fast, but Benny thought he was faster. There was no way it was going to be able to dodge his punch this time!

Just as it looked like his fist was going to connect with the creature’s head, it rolled to the side. That wasn’t going to work this time. Benny used his strings to tug his hand in the opposite direction, it swung around quickly, and hit the creature in its side. The ragdoll demon thought he had knocked the wind out of the creature, until it actually rolling with the punch and grabbing his strings in its paws! It got tangled up as it laid on its back and it was…pawing at his strings? It was even make a sound akin to an old car idling.

Benny stood there completely dumbfounded. “**wAit…WHaT's gOin' ON?**”

Allison peaked around the tall demon. “Wow, it’s like…a big cat. It’s playing with your string!”

“**PLaYinG?**” The large ink cat's tail curled and swished through the grass. Benny could see its large paws flexing as it tugged on the ink covered strings.

The little grey kitten was mewling even louder now. He was even waving his little paws at the ink cat.

“Oh.” Allison thought she knew what was going on. She walked past Benny and approached the creature cautiously. It flopped on its side and watched her. She got within ten feet and placed the kitten on the ground. He toddled up to the large cat.

Both Allison and Benny held their breaths, expecting the worse. The ink cat laid its large head on the ground and waited as the kitten head-butt it. The creature nuzzled the cat gently. The grey bundle of energy ran over to the ink cat’s paws and tried to climb the strings.

“**oH.**” Benny scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin on his face. “**I THinK tHeRe's bEEn A sMAll MiSundERstAnDiNG.”**

The stitched demon walked over to the creature. It tilted its head slightly to look up at him. Benny knelt down near its head. He willed his strings to go slack and the little kitten tumbled to the ground with a squeak.

“**wE mAy haVE gOTten Off ON tHe WRonG FoOt here.**” Benny chuckled. The grey kitten got tangled up with his little paws waving in the air. “**HoW ‘bOUt wE STaRt ovEr AGaiN.**” The ink cat huffed so the demon took that as a “Yes". “**JuST let Me dO THiS fiRst…”**

Benny reached for the kitten, but realized too late what a big mistake that was. The creature moved so fast. It grabbed his hand with its forepaw. Sharp, yellow, curving claws unsheathed and dug into his glove. It wasn’t hard enough to pierce the fabric, but it was enough to sting. It was a very effective warning.

“**HeY hEy, tAKe it eASy!**” Benny winced when the grip on his hand grew a little tighter. “**I'm NoT goNNa hUrt HiM. I nEEd tO unTAngLe him So I cAn pUll MY sTRingS baCK**.”

Benny couldn’t see its eyes, but he could feel them studying him. It was very unnerving how still it got. Only the tip of its tail twitched. After a few seconds, the claws slid back into the creature’s paw and it let his hand go.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Benny carefully extracted the kitten from his strings and asked Allison to hold him. The creature sat up on its haunches and waited patiently for the demon to uncoil his strings from its legs.

Soon Benny’s arm was back in place. He checked his hand to make sure there was no damage while the creature continued to watch him. The mouth in his stomach opened up and he expelled the excess ink onto the ground. As he did this, his body reverted back to normal. The ink evaporated and Benny was his toony self again.

The little plush toon straightened his bow tie and cleared his throat.. “Alright take two!” Benny giggled.

“My name is Benny. Benny the Stitched Demon! Nice to meet you.”

**OoOoOoOoO**

As the afternoon wore on, Benny learned a few things about their guests. For one thing, the ink cat couldn’t speak. This made it hard for him to find out if it or the kitten had names or not.

Despite how skinny the ink cat looked, it was quite sturdy. It managed to take a full hit from him and didn’t appear hurt. Benny apologized for that and the creature seemed to take it all in stride. It even placed its paw on his shoulder as thought it was telling him that everything was fine. Benny also realized that the cat was sitting on its haunches and it was still a few inches taller than him!

Allison was very wary of the creature so it kept a respectable distance from her. She brought the kitten a small bowl of cool water to drink. Benny reached into his hammerspace and pulled out a ball of yarn. He would roll it across the lawn, the ink cat would bat at it with its large paw, and the kitten would pounce on it. It was so funny to see the little kitten fumble around with a ball of yarn bigger than himself.

They played this game until the kitten got tired. Benny sat cross legged in the grass with the sleepy kitten in his lap. The ink cat was curled around him. The plush toon reached over and scratched it behind its stubby horn. The creature purred and Benny could feel it vibrating against his body.

Allison looked concerned. “Benny, where did it come from?”

“The studio…I guess?” Benny shrugged. This creature was definitely made of ink. He could feel it, but it felt different somehow. It almost felt like Bendy’s ink, but there was something off about it.

“I don’t remember running into any cats or cat-like creatures there…”

Benny agreed. As far as he knew, the studio didn’t make a cartoon with a cat in it. Especially not one that looked like Bendy.

“Maybe I should give Henry a call. He might be able to help us.” Allison headed for the back door. She got within five feet of the house when ink bled through the wall. The spot grew bigger until she was staring at a very familiar portal. A tall, lanky figure stepped out.

“Bendy? What are you doing here?” Allison was confused. Why was he here. She didn’t get the chance to call Henry. How did he know to show up…and why did he look like that?

The demon didn’t say a word. He just stared at her. Allison was getting a bad vibe from him and she took a few steps back.

“B-Bendy?” The ink demon tilted his head like he didn’t know her. He took a few steps towards her and she stumbled back. Whoever this was had a dangerous air about him. At this point, Benny was on his feet, and rushed to her side. He still had the little kitten in his arms.

“Allison, be careful! I don’t know who this is, but he’s not our Bendy!” The imposing figure continued to shuffle towards them, but stopped when the ink cat walked in between them.

The creature approached the demon. It hung its head low, its horns were pinned back, and it made a low gurgling sound. The demon stared down at it. Benny thought this other Bendy was going to hurt it!

The ink demon sighed and shook his head. He reached out and laid his hand on top of the creature’s head. It murmured softly and bumped its head against his palm.

Allison and Benny watched the scene before them and came to the same conclusion: “I guess he knows them.”

“Yeah.” Benny was happy for his new friend, but slightly disappointed. He kind of hoped they could stay with him, but that probably wasn’t a good idea. He didn’t know anything about the creature and Tom would definitely have a fit.

“Well, looks like this is goodbye little guy.” Benny scratched behind the kitten’s ear. “I don’t even know your name.”

“**It’sss Cloudy**.” Allison and Benny jumped. There no doubt that this wasn’t their Bendy. This demon’s voice was deeper and it had a strange echo to it.

“Cloudy. He does kinda look like a fluffy cloud!” Benny laughed nervously. The demon held out his gloved hand. The little plush toon hugged Cloudy to his chest before handing him back to the other Bendy.

The ink demon sat the little kitten on his shoulder. Cloudy mewled and rubbed his head against the other Bendy’s chin. The kitten lost his balance and rolled off the shoulder it was perched on only to be caught by the demon before he could fall too far.

“**So sssilly**.” The ink demon chuckled. He turned and headed back to the inky portal. “**Let'sss go home, Ssshadow**.”

“Shadow huh.” Benny smiled. “Well, it was nice meeting you Shadow!” The ink cat leaned into him and pressed its head against his chest. It just stood there, not making a sound. Its stubby horns twitched ever so slightly.

Benny gasped. Shadow was purring softly. It felt like his insides were vibrating. It didn’t hurt, it was just weird.

The ink cat stepped back and Benny patted it on the head. Shadow huffed then joined the other Bendy at the portal. It stepped through and disappeared. Before leaving, the ink demon turned to them.

“**Thank you, fffor looking afffter them**.” He stepped through the portal and it closed up behind him. There were no signs of ink on the wall. If was as if nothing had happened.

Allison and Benny stood in the yard, staring at the house. “I don’t believe this. There are other Bendy’s out there?” she sounded slightly panicked. “Tom is never going to believe this.”

The truth was, this wasn’t even the first time Benny met another version of Bendy. He hadn’t told anyone because he didn’t want his loved ones to worry.

“Hey! Does this mean I can get a cat?” Benny grinned up at Allison. “If someone like him could have a cat, I can get one too!”

“Benny!” Allison groaned and rubbed her temple with the tips of her fingers. “I need to sit down.”

“C'mon! I promise to feed it and bathe it and it can sleep in my room!” Benny followed her into the house as he continued to plead his case.

“I can call it Mittens! Mittens is a great name for a cat. Ooo Ooo, I can knit Mittens a pair of mittens! That would be so cute!” Allison finally chuckled and that made the plush toon smile. The last thing he wanted was her worrying about other Bendys.

**Author's Note:**

> This was suppose to be a short story. Kinda ran away from me. Enjoy everyone!


End file.
